Schooling Chairman Pai on Net Neutrality

November 28, 2017

Dana Floberg

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has announced his plan to slash the Net Neutrality rules, and everyone hates it.

This isn’t much of a surprise. Since Pai first hinted at his intention to gut the open internet, he’s been roundly condemned by countless activists, small businesses, media makers and politicians — not to mention millions of commenters. Net Neutrality is the First Amendment of the internet, and the internet has shown up to defend it.

But it turns out Chairman Pai is too thin-skinned to take the heat. Instead of listening to Net Neutrality supporters and abandoning his overwhelmingly unpopular plan to repeal the rules, Pai’s office released an explainer to separate Net Neutrality “myths” from the “facts”.

There’s just one problem: All of Pai’s “myths” are real, and all of his “facts” are twisted.

At Free Press, we’re used to calling out Pai’s lies for what they are. So today on Twitter, that’s exactly what we did:

Chairman Pai just released a #NetNeutrality explainer that denigrates serious public concerns as "myths" & presents his own lies as "facts."

Unless Pai's enormous Reese's mug doubles as a crystal ball, there's no way for him to know what ISPs will do if #NetNeutrality rules are scrapped. They COULD charge premiums, and if they DO, his @FCC will have abdicated all responsibility to help you. pic.twitter.com/GbikvA2o9C

Last one, still no cigar. #NetNeutrality rules have been held up in court before & Pai is fudging the impact of the SCOTUS decision by suggesting they endorsed his anti-#TitleII stance. SCOTUS upheld agency discretion, not Pai's bogus plan. pic.twitter.com/KC8TWMszYZ